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at least 100+ acres of camping space
70,000-100,000 sq ft of indoor commercial vendor space
approx 40,000 sq ft of indoor seminar space
grandstand capable of seating at least 3,500 people
at least 3,000 motel rooms within a 20 mile radius
available on site MOA exclusive beer sales
availability of sufficent showers and restrooms on site or nearby

and those are just the major starting qualifiers to ante up for consideration as a host site!

I think we need to re-think what meets the criteria.

Each year a simple marina in Norwalk, CT transforms inself into the International In Water Boat Show. The show is an annual success, yet they don't have most of what is required to host one of the largest boat shows in the nation. What they do have is WATER!

So how do they do it?

Lots of huge circus-style tents, portable toilets/showers, temporary power facilites, and lots of good old Yankee ingenuity.

The parallel here is: WATER is essential to an in-water boat show; RIDING-ROADS are essential to a motorcycle rally -- everything else is negotiable, portable, temporary, optional, or superfluous!!!

The parallel here is: WATER is essential to an in-water boat show; RIDING-ROADS are essential to a motorcycle rally -- everything else is negotiable, portable, temporary, optional, or superfluous!!!,IMO

Fixed.

I don't feel they are essential in the way that water is for boats. I feel they are a plus.

19 BMWMOA Nationals under my belt, and I have no idea what I am doing.

I guess I don't understand this logic: riding-roads are not essential, just a plus???

This is a MOTORCYCLE RALLY site, not some kind of internment camp, right?

To me the attraction to the sport of motorcycling is in the actual RIDING -- particularly, riding in an area blessed with a variety of scenic and challenging roads.

To be hunkered down, going nowhere for three days at a motorcycle rally is worse than pointless. I don't care how great the showers are. It's torture.

No logic was used whatsoever. Like yours, it is neither, right or wrong, it's an opinion.
You started the sentence with To ME. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. Some people might like boating because of the boat shows, others might like it because they like being on the water. Is one's opinion worth less than the other?
To you it is about the roads. To me, it is seeing new places and meeting old friends.
Who said I wasn't going anywhere for 3 days? I plan on going to Devil's Tower, Custer, the Needles Highway, Mount Rushmore and maybe more. Then a shower, then Beer tent.
I guess I won't see you in Gillette then. Have a nice ride.

19 BMWMOA Nationals under my belt, and I have no idea what I am doing.

There ya go. I won't go if it is in Canada, and I haven't gone, when it was in Canada. Before any Canadians get upset, I have my reasons, and it has to do with crossing the Border. I guess it really is hard to please all the people all the time. That must be why that saying was invented.

If you had problems before, imagine what the problems will with the new requirements for passports and homeland security inspections. I can just see fully packed motorcycles with everything on them spread out for inspection and the riders spending considerable time repacking their bikes.

'You can say what you want about the South, but I almost never hear of anyone wanting to retire to the North.

To me the attraction to the sport of motorcycling is in the actual RIDING -- particularly, riding in an area blessed with a variety of scenic and challenging roads.

To be hunkered down, going nowhere for three days at a motorcycle rally is worse than pointless. I don't care how great the showers are. It's torture.

I think this is a position held by many people who choose not to attend rallys, because a rally can be so much hunkering down - thus the vendors, entertainment and seminars. Others use the rally as a base point to ride the area.

If the rally is not for you...it's not for you. We all enjoy our bikes in different ways and for different reasons.

I think understanding both Rapid Roy and gulfcoastbeener‘«÷s comments.

I went to last year‘«÷s rally with plans to ride in the area. I had done a good bit of research and was looking forward to exploring the area using the rally as a base. With volunteering, seminars and meeting people I didn‘«÷t get off the site much. I am an introverted rider preferring to ride alone, so, frankly when I did get out and ride the area sharing the roads with 7,000 of my fellow riders did not exactly trip my trigger when I did. However; those riders I did see seemed to be having fun in their groups.

I did plan fun rides to and from the rally just as I have been planning fun for the trip to Gillette and back. I am planning on volunteering again and seeing people. When I do go for a ride I plan on trying not to fall over in the dirt on my Roadster.

I have had a great time at the Nat'ls when they were in areas with great roads.
I have had a great time at Nat'ls where the roads were not "technically challenging."
I must be odd. I will definitely skew the survey.

I have only gone to 15 though.
I have to get a few more under my belt to determine if I will stop going or not.

Hill City is a great starting point from which to visit these places. No matter which way you go, it's about five hours from Gillette, WY to Hill City, SD and back.

On our way to Red Lodge, MT and Beartooth Pass we stopped for fuel in Gillette, WY at the Flying-J. I remember grain elevators, railroad siding, a water tower, and an absense of trees. It's hard to judge a town from a truck stop on the interstate; however, coming into Gillette the surrounding terrain seemed genuinely unremarkable -- pretty much prairie. In the middle of July it was over a 100 degrees, dusty and windy.

Have any favorite rides in the Gillette, WY area?

At the Cam-Plex web site they have this photo. Does anybody know where this was taken? I would be pleasantly surprised to learn this is anywhere near the CAM-PLEX.

FLASH: I performed a Google search for the credited photographer, Angela Rath, and found the scene in the below promotional Gillette Cam-Plex photo is a little further away from Gillette than I bargained for -- it's actually Maloja Pass, Switzerland. "Motorcycle Nirvana!", Photo submitted by Angela Rath #53326

Hill City is a great starting point from which to visit these places. No matter which way you go, it's about five hours from Gillette, WY to Hill City, SD and back.

On our way to Red Lodge, MT and Beartooth Pass we stopped for fuel in Gillette, WY at the Flying-J. I remember grain elevators, railroad siding, a water tower, and an absense of trees. It's hard to judge a town from a truck stop on the interstate; however, coming into Gillette the surrounding terrain seemed genuinely unremarkable -- pretty much prairie. In the middle of July it was over a 100 degrees, dusty and windy.

Have any favorite rides in the Gillette, WY area?

At the Cam-Plex web site they have this photo. Does anybody know where this was taken? I would be pleasantly surprised to learn this is anywhere near the CAM-PLEX.

FLASH: I performed a Google search for the credited photographer, Angela Rath, and found the scene in the below promotional Gillette Cam-Plex photo is a little further away from Gillette than I bargained for -- it's actually Maloja Pass, Switzerland. "Motorcycle Nirvana!", Photo submitted by Angela Rath #53326

How about a little truth in advertising!

They also failed to tell us BMWMOA would be competing for all services with two major power plants under construction. Honesty is certainly not a strong suit for Gillette.

I've had enough tonight..

Gillette. hmmmm. nobody I mean NOBODY can convince anybody to smile about Gillette, you got to want to smile...and dream about the national in 08.

But the segment on this forum who are absolutely convinced to ruin the dreams of as many as possible of anybody who might have a dream of having fun in Gillette simply will not give up. Bound and detrmined...strike that FIXATED with the soul goal of convincing anyone who might be on the fence about having a good time at Gillette Rally not to go. Fixated in painting the rally, painting gillette, painting the ride to gillette BLACK Day after day the chant...the whine is the same.

Good god, are you all getting paid by some weirtd lobby group to try to destroy this national?

And don't tell me it's all because you care about the national or that if you don't speak up now other nationals are at risk of ending up in a place that's as bad or worse than Gillette...you care HA! Your point was made two months ago...Can it and let the rest of us enjoy our dream of a great ride, of a great rally, of a great opportunity to see old friends and meet new friends at the 08 Rally.

It appears to be a vendetta with the sole goal of ruining 08 rally cause you don't like Gillette, you don't like the location, sort of like a kid whose ice cream melt all over your hand before you had a chance to eat it; you are bound and determined to ruin everyone elses ice cream CAUSE YOU CAN simply by that nagging whine of an open mouth.

If you don't like Gillette DONT GO, QUIT WHINING sheesh enough of this horse manure.

for the record, since I am trying to be more civil...I respect your opinion, you believe in what you want, but I have to ask, please PLEASE just start a new thread, ok? Call it "NON CONSTRUCTIVE BITCHIN AND RANTING BY GILLETTE HATERS" You have the right for what ever reason to ruin it for the rest.... thata's your right. I just cant figure out why...

Red

ps go ahead tear it up...tear my opinion up, go for it...that seems to be what you do best, boys!

Gillette. hmmmm. nobody I mean NOBODY can convince anybody to smile about Gillette, you got to want to smile...and dream about the national in 08.

But the segment on this forum who are absolutely convinced to ruin the dreams of as many as possible of anybody who might have a dream of having fun in Gillette simply will not give up. Bound and detrmined...strike that FIXATED with the soul goal of convincing anyone who might be on the fence about having a good time at Gillette Rally not to go. Fixated in painting the rally, painting gillette, painting the ride to gillette BLACK Day after day the chant...the whine is the same.

Good god, are you all getting paid by some weirtd lobby group to try to destroy this national?

And don't tell me it's all because you care about the national or that if you don't speak up now other nationals are at risk of ending up in a place that's as bad or worse than Gillette...you care HA! Your point was made two months ago...Can it and let the rest of us enjoy our dream of a great ride, of a great rally, of a great opportunity to see old friends and meet new friends at the 08 Rally.

It appears to be a vendetta with the sole goal of ruining 08 rally cause you don't like Gillette, you don't like the location, sort of like a kid whose ice cream melt all over your hand before you had a chance to eat it; you are bound and determined to ruin everyone elses ice cream CAUSE YOU CAN simply by that nagging whine of an open mouth.

If you don't like Gillette DONT GO, QUIT WHINING sheesh enough of this horse manure.

for the record, since I am trying to be more civil...I respect your opinion, you believe in what you want, but I have to ask, please PLEASE just start a new thread, ok? Call it "NON CONSTRUCTIVE BITCHIN AND RANTING BY GILLETTE HATERS" You have the right for what ever reason to ruin it for the rest.... thata's your right. I just cant figure out why...

Red

ps go ahead tear it up...tear my opinion up, go for it...that seems to be what you do best, boys!

Let me guess...you have your own beer tent! You better save some for the rally.

I'm just blowing off steam here, don't take to heart, old boy, you say and do (I know you will regardless) what you feel, and so will I! I'm just in a bad mood tonight.

I will just try my best to stay away from this thread, and the posts surrounding drop kicking Gillette 08 in the balls...gets me too upset...But, I would be happy to buy you a beer, and discuss what we have in common if you are in Gillette, I just need to quit reading the "stick Gillete up your rear" posts because well...I thought it was a neat Rally...I still think it's going to be a neat rally...hope to see your there!

Ps Kenk I don't drink, not for many years, so quit the "your bombed" insult...this is the real me! 24 7, as you should know by now!?

I think your opinion on Gillette and your constant hammering on Gillette is mistaken for what ever reason! Maybe it's you that needs some self examination...maybe? Why do you hate Gillette...ask your self, self examination, sort of a self run "mini mental", eh Kenk?